Roofing Distribution Sales to Grow 5.4% Annually Through 2021

March 1 2017

The freedonia Group

Roofing distributors’ sales are forecast to advance 5.4% per year to $20 billion in 2021. Distributors will continue to account for a growing share of roofing sales as builders increasingly subcontract out roof installation jobs. Roofing distributors’ sales are also supported by the nature of the reroofing segment -- most jobs are small projects that require only modest amounts of roofing. These and other trends are presented in Roofing Distribution in the US, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry research firm.

The South accounted for the largest share of roofing distributors’ sales with 38.7% of the market in 2016. Roofing distributors’ sales in the region were boosted by increases in housing starts and existing home sales. Moreover, the South saw a number of severe weather events that caused heavy damage to roofs in that year, including:

Winter Storm Jonas in the South Atlantic and Middle Atlantic

outbreaks of hailstorms and severe thunderstorms across the West South Central

several outbreaks of tornadoes and thunderstorms in the East South Central

Hurricane Matthew, which brushed the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South and North Carolina

Through 2021, the South and the West are forecast to see the most rapid gains in roofing distributors’ sales. In the South, sales of roofing by distributors will be boosted by the region’s strong projected growth in home sales. According to analyst Matt Zielenski, “Homeowners generally engage in home improvement projects -- such as the replacement of roofing -- prior to or soon after the sale of a home. Most reroofing projects are undertaken by small- and medium-sized contractors who generally purchase roofing exclusively from a distributor.”

Roofing Distribution in the US (published 03/2017, 281 pages) is available for $4900 from The Freedonia Group. For further details or to arrange an interview with the analyst, please contact Corinne Gangloff by phone 440.684.9600 or email pr@freedoniagroup.com.